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Nouakchott - Mauritania's president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz says his country will not take part in a planned military intervention in Mali because the operation will have "grave consequences".

Aziz said in an interview broadcast on state television that the intervention is bound to create more problems "because the terrorists have arms and when they leave the cities, they will go find refuge in the desert, and continue to carry out terrorist activities."

Two weeks ago, the African Union asked the UN to endorse a military intervention to free northern Mali, which was seized by al-Qaeda-linked rebels earlier this year.

Mauritania is considered key player to any future military operation because they share a huge border with Mali and because several of the top leaders in al-Qaeda's North African branch are Mauritanian.

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